Karel de Grote, Godfried IV van Bouillon en Koning Arthur als drie christelijke helden 1516 - 1519

Hans Burgkmair created this woodcut, "Charles the Great, Godfrey of Bouillon, and King Arthur as Three Christian Heroes," in Germany in the early Sixteenth Century. The image presents three idealised leaders, each associated with a different period of European history. Burgkmair uses visual codes, such as their armour and heraldry, to situate them within a narrative of Christian militancy and nobility. He shows Charles the Great, Godfrey of Bouillon, and King Arthur as exemplars of virtue that might be emulated in his own time. Augsburg, where Burgkmair was based, was a prominent city in the Holy Roman Empire and a centre of humanist learning. The Holy Roman Empire was not a unified nation-state but a patchwork of territories, kingdoms, and city-states. This artwork, with its focus on leadership and the idea of a unified Christian Europe, reflects the complex dynamics of power in the region. Studying prints like this can help us to understand the cultural and political ideas that were circulating at the time. Art historians consult a variety of primary and secondary sources to understand the meaning and significance of artworks within specific social and institutional contexts.